SHERMAN OAKS, Cal. — Want to land some bragging size crappie? Maybe even break a current record? You’d be wise to fish the lakes rated by Fishhound.com as the best in the country for oversized slabs.

Arkansas was well-represented in the list with six lakes in the top 50. Lake Dardanelle finished as the top-rated lake in Arkansas and number nine overall. Fishhound compiled its “50 Best Crappie Lakes” list after consulting with a host of industry experts, including veteran outdoor writers, professional crappie anglers, companies like Blakemore and Southern Pro, and organizations such as Crappie USA, Crappie Masters and Crappie Nation.

“We devoted considerable time and resources to develop this list based on feedback from some of the most experienced and knowledgeable crappie fishermen throughout the U.S.,” noted Rick Patri, Fishhound’s vice president, operations. “These are bodies of water that earned well deserved reputations for producing big numbers of fish as well as some real monsters.”

The long-standing IGFA all-tackle world record for white crappie stands at 5 lbs., 3 oz. – a fish caught in Mississippi back in 1957. The all-tackle record for black crappie is a 5-pound fish caught from a private Missouri farm pond in 2006. However, records are made to be broken. And, when larger crappie are caught, chances are those fish will come from a lake on Fishhound’s “Top 50” list below:

Fishhound’s 50 Best Crappie Lakes List

1. Grenada Lake, MS

2. Sardis Lake, MS

3. Kentucky Lake, TN

4. Reelfoot Lake, TN

5. Arkabutla Lake, MS

6. Green River Lake, KY

7. Lake Washington, MS

8. Barkley Lake, KY

9. Lake Dardanelle

10. Logan Martin, AL

11. Weiss Lake, AL

12. Nimrod Lake

13. Clarks Hill, GA

14. Chickamauga Lake, TN

15. Patoka Lake, IN

16. Santee Cooper Lakes, SC

17. Eufaula Lake, OK

18. Pickwick Lake, TN

19. Oologah Lake, OK

20. Enid Lake, MS

21. Harris Chain of Lakes, FL

22. Truman Lake, MO

23. Toledo Bend, TX

24. Alabama River, AL

25 Lake Erie, OH

26. Texoma Lake, TX

27. Buckeye Lake, OH

28. Kaw Lake, OK

29. Ross Barnett, MS

30. Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, MS

31. Douglas Lake, TN

32. Monroe Lake, FL

33. Lake of the Ozarks, MO

34. Lake Fork, TX

35. Neely Henry Lake, AL

36. Kinkaid Lake, IL

37. Rend Lake, IL

38. Shelbyville Lake, IL

39. Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir

40. Lake Greeson 4

41. Greenwood Lake

42. West Point, GA

43. Oconee Lake, GA

44. Lake Cumberland, KY

45. Indian Lake, OH 4

46. Lake Talquin, FL

47. Mississinewa Lake, IN

48. Lake Hamilton

49. Lake of the Pines, TX

50. D’Arbonne Lake, LA

Fishing tournament benefits Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry

ARKADELPHIA — The annual Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry team fishing tournament will be Saturday at DeGray Lake near Arkadelphia. All of the proceeds from the tournament will go to the organization that helps to feed those less fortunate in Arkansas.

Prizes included $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. Entry fee is $100 per boat.

For more information, contact Steve Wilson at 501-304-6305 or Ronnie Ritter at 501-282-0006. Tournament sponsors include No-Way Pulpwood, Greeson’s, Hope Auto, Legacy Printers and Supplies, and Academy Sports and Outdoors. Entry forms are available at online at www.arkansashunters.org.

AGFC stocks more than 200,000 fish in Arkansas during February

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Game and Fish Commission crews stocked over 201,400 fish in Arkansas lakes and rivers during February, according to Mark Oliver, chief of the Fisheries Division. The total stocking of fish weighed more than 65,700 pounds.

LITTLE ROCK — In mid-March many Arkansans are getting into fishing — if they are not already on the water in action.

Spring is near. The countrysides are greening up. Fish should be biting. But the water may not be warming nearly as rapidly as the air around the anglers, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Up and down weather like Arkansas has means the water may stay too chilly for good fish action even if some days are warm enough for shirt-sleeve clothing for anglers.

Warm days and cool nights don’t change water temperatures significantly. A warm rain, however, can raise water temperatures noticeably.

Small bodies of waters, ponds and little lakes, will warm sooner than large lakes. Shallow lakes warm quicker than deep lakes.

Still, the waters are warming, and that is a step toward productive fishing for all the Arkansas warm water species. While the water temperatures linger on the cool side, fishermen can benefit from slowing down on the action of their baits and lures, since fish metabolisms remain slow.